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Reason to believe in Bears' backup plan - Michael C. Wright: Appreciative though they are of what he brings off the field, Phil Emery, the coaches, and the players aren't merely paying lip service when expressing confidence in McCown's ability to successfully fill in for Cutler if the need arises.
Team Report - Tom Pelissero: Nearly half of the Bears' players, including QB Jay Cutler, could be free agents in 2014, so the team is focused on winning now.
Follow WCG on Twitter; like us on Facebook (& click on 'Subscribed to'). Oh, it's the last time. Click for Chicago Bears Tickets. Check out David "OSS" Taylor's CheekyMonkeyArt prints and t-shirts.
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Training camp
Morning Bears Bits - Adam Hoge with five things to watch out for this week as we head towards Friday's first taste of action.
Cutler Watch - Adam L. Jahns: The sloppy conditions didn’t hinder the offense and Jay Cutler too much, especially when it came to team drills in goal-line situations, as the Bears continue to experiment with different personnel groupings.
Notes from training camp - Larry Mayer: Kromer excited about (finally) working with Forte; Cutler says Alshon Jeffery has grown as a player from last season; injuries help Aromashodu & Frey to get more practice reps.
Notes from camp - Bob LeGere: Long and Bostic are both also doing well on special teams; injury update; preseason games important for special teamers.
Observations from camp - Adam L. Jahns with 5 observations from Monday's practice.
Notes from camp - Brad Biggs: Bushrod returned to practice but must be 100 percent to play in exhibition opener; more injury news; more from Monday's session.
Observations from camp - Michael C. Wright & Jeff Dickerson: Bears release preseason depth chart; observations from Monday's practice.
Depth Chart Breakdown - Adam Hoge with a look at the Bears' first released depth chart of the season: Hard to ignore that Eric Weems sits behind at least six other WRs.
Bears position preview - Larry Mayer: Kromer's molding of O-line draws rave review from Marshall; team seeks more consistency from Webb; Bushrod impressed by Long.
With Hayden out, Bears turn to Frey in slot - Jeff Dickerson: Given the expiring contracts of their veteran CBs, the Bears are bound to need some young DBs in the future, which bodes well for Isaiah Frey if he continues to develop. Bob LeGere: Was helped to develop on practice squad by DBs coach Jon Hoke.
[Video] CSNChicago discussion - The panel talk injuries and what to expect in Friday's preseason opener. [KAPCON*: 5]
(* NEW! Introducing the KAPCON measure of how annoying Kaplan is in any given clip, on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being "not annoying / barely noticeable" and 1 being "Skip Bayless".)
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Bearsss
Rookies Bostic, Long learning fast under Kromer, Tucker - Mark Potash: Emery’s grand plan is to acquire players who learn well and hire coaches who teach well. Long and Bostic, drafted specifically for this coaching staff, bear watching as early litmus tests.
Player profile - Moon Mullin: Everyone in the NFL has talent and football ability. Not everyone in the NFL makes it on special teams if they do not make an offensive or defensive unit. There’s a reason that Blake Costanzo has.
Player profile - Brad Biggs: The Bears are feeling comfortable about their reconstruction project at LB. Of all the veterans brought in on one-year deals in the offseason, James Anderson might have been the most impressive in the spring and that has continued in training camp.
Player profile - Fred Mitchell: One of Jay Cutler's favorite targets in 2009, Devin Aromashodu is trying to impress a new set of eyes on the Bears coaching staff.
Who are the next 50 Hall of Famers? - Elliot Harrison attempts to predict them through to the class of 2021 and not only has a certain recently retired Bear going in in 2018, but also two current Bears joining him in 2021.
SackMan has t-shirts available of all three future HOFers here, here and here; or, you can order a geometric future HOFer courtesy of CheekyMonkeyArt. #blamethorco
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Butkusss
Butkus embraces new-look Bears - Tom Musick sits down with Dick Butkus and finds out what he thinks about the direction his old team is going in. (Warning: Link leads to Hub Arkush's happy, smiling face.)
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Polish sausage
Know thy enemy: Lions - Chris Burke: Louis Delmas still trying to bring the pain, despite his own injury setbacks.
Know thy enemy: Packers - Rob Demovsky: Green Bay have only won one playoff game in the two years since they won the Super Bowl. What are the key issues and concerns for the team coming out of training camp? Options at LT?
Know thy enemy: Packers - Rob Demovsky: Will Vince Young have enough time to compete for the backup QB position? Is signing related to Bulaga injury?
Know thy enemy: Vikings - Ben Goessling: Sensible eating and hard work helped Matt Kalil gain back the 20 or 30 pounds he lost from a bout with pneumonia last December. JWebb: Y U no go to McDonalds, bro?
Non-gridiron link - [Video] The 6th annual World Dwarf Games began Saturday at Michigan State University. This is the best thing ever; also: 4'10".
New Order's own sound was much less bleak than Joy Division's. This hails from 1982 and was used on the soundtrack of 1996 film "Trainspotting".